Neil Marshall has announced his next project will an action movie called ‘Duchess’.
The 49-year-old director is currently editing his hotly-anticipated new horror movie ‘The Reckoning’ which he co-wrote with Charlotte Kirk, who also stars as the lead character, and the pair have also teamed up to pen an all-action romp which he intends to start filming next year.
Neil – who is famous for his horror films ‘Dog Soldiers’ and ‘The Descent’ – exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "It’s the second script I’ve written with Charlotte and she will star in it. It’s set in contemporary times.
"That will be my next film, it’s an action film. I really love action, although I’m known for my horror films and I love making horror movies, I just don’t want to do that. It’s called ‘Duchess’."
‘The Reckoning’ is set during the Great Plague of London, which took place during the middle of the 17th century, and Charlotte plays Evelyn Haverstock, a young widow falsely accused of being a witch by her landlord after she rejects his sexual advances.
At the time, witches were blamed for causing the bubonic plague and were hunted in England and Evelyn will be seen being tortured by the villainous Moorcroft – played by Sean Pertwee – in an attempt to prove she is meddling with the occult.
The movie was shot in Budapest, in Hungary, and Neil admits he wanted to make a period horror because going back in time to create scares has always appealed to him because he loves to research real historical events.
And Neil admits he put his leading lady and friend Charlotte through hell on the shoot.
Speaking to promote his immersive horror experience in London – Kraken Screamfest: Director’s Cut – he said: "Charlotte and I have known each other for some time, she’s an amazing talent. She’s fantastic in this and we put her through hell!
"Making a period horror is interesting to me and the Great Plague is an event that has a big impact on people’s psyche. They thought witches were responsible for spreading the plague and so as well as carrying out witch hunts they also killed all the cats because they thought they belonged to the witches. Of course this worsened the spread of the plague because it was spread by rats and there were no cats to kill the rats. These details are fascinating."
Neil admits he wanted to get involved with Kraken Screamfest – for which he is teaming up with Kraken Rum – because he has always wanted to create his own immersive Halloween experience and he used the mythical sea monster the Kraken to influence the scares on offer.
He spilled: "Originally from hell, the kraken brings with it minions from the depths of the ocean. The minions are the ghosts or the living dead of all those who died in the sea.
"The beast uses its minions to spread its infection – its virus – across the world. So these old creatures are coming out of the oceans and the rivers across the planet to take over the world.
"And the kraken is at the centre, spreading its tentacles into everything. It’s not a literal physical being in itself, it’s spreading like a virus, all through pipes, through sewers and toilets."
‘Kraken Screamfest: Director’s Cut’ will take place in London and Dublin between Thursday October 31 and Friday November 1.
Visit Theleagueofdarkness.co.uk/home for more information and tickets.
Neil Marshall’s next project is action film Duchess
